The Marriage Act: A Novel

by John Marrs

Overview

What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey? Black Mirror meets thriller with a dash of Naomi Alderman’s The Power in this dark, high-concept novel by the bestselling author of The One.

Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills—the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single.

But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives—monitoring every word, every minor disagreement…and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honor and obey.

“The king of near-future what-ifs is back with a smart and chilling page-turner. Twisty, unsettling, scarily believable and thought provoking, this is his best yet.” —Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

“Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never lets go. THE MARRIAGE ACT is a brilliant examination of relationships and the power we let others have over us. And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts!” —C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

Don't miss other suspenseful reads from John Marrs (you'll never see the twists coming!):

• The One
• The Vacation
• The Family Experiment (coming soon!)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335005939
Publisher:	Hanover Square Press
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	17,196
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

John Marrs is the author of The Good Samaritan, When You Disappeared, and Welcome to Wherever You Are. A freelance journalist based in London, England, he has spent the past 20 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines. He has written for publications including the Guardian’s Guide and Guardian Online, Total Film, Huffington Post, Empire, Q, GT, the Independent, S Magazine and Company.

Editorial Reviews

03/27/2023

Marrs (Keep It in the Family) delivers a smart Orwellian thriller set in a near-future U.K. where the financial impact of several pandemics has led to drastic measures. Multiple economic reboots failed, leading the government to conclude that it could only turn things around by “making people understand that they’re better off emotionally and financially when they’re in a committed relationship,” which would make “them want to work smarter and harder.” Now incentives, including tax breaks and increased access to medical care, reward those who sign up for a “Smart Marriage,” an arrangement which includes consenting to AI devices being placed in married couples’ homes to randomly record conversations and send alerts when they detect potential problems between spouses. The impact of living in a world where privacy is minimal and those not “smart married” face discrimination is cleverly explored through several vividly portrayed characters, including vlogger Roxi, who wants government surveillance to be expanded, and Corrine, a member of the resistance to the oppressive regime. Marrs builds on techno-dystopian ideas explored in prior books (there are Easter eggs connecting this outing to both The One and The Passengers) to craft a scarily plausible world. Readers will be riveted. (May)

Publishers Weekly

The king of near-future what-ifs is back with a smart and chilling page-turner. Twisty, unsettling, scarily believable and thought provoking, this is his best yet.” —Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

“A scarily plausible alternative future with a truly twisted narrative. Tensely plotted and terrifyingly imagined.” —Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange

“Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never lets go. THE MARRIAGE ACT is a brilliant examination of relationships and the power we let others have over us. And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts!” —C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man

“An absolute blinder of a book… Another gripping page-turner.” —Claire Allan, author of The Liar’s Daughter

“John Marrs’s creative, high-concept thrillers never fail to keep me furiously turning the pages and The Marriage Act is no exception. Pacy and packed full of tension, the book kept me constantly guessing as the thought-provoking plot about marriage and everything that comes with it unfolded in the most sinister of ways…dark, immersive speculative fiction at it’s very best!”—Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat and The Sanatorium

“A smart, gripping and scarily believable story from the master of the speculative thriller.”—TM Logan, author of The Curfew and The Holiday

From the Publisher